Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I have a friend who is looking at a bunch of law schools across the country. He's a midwesterner--but he is open to just about any city out there. And...he is a bit of an iconoclast. He's a total yuppie and loves the more white-collar sorts of cities with giant, white-bread suburbs full of stepford wives and big suvs. He wants a city with a good cultural scene and lots of neat coffee shops with a definite hipster edge. But he's also got a very distinct streak of redneck in him...he's an evangelical Christian, fairly conservative, loves country music, and most of all wants a real "salt of the earth" type of place to live. So while places like Boston and San Francisco may be very yuppie...it's not his sort of yuppie. He's a less sophisticated sort of yuppie, I guess. lol.
The first cities to come to my mind were Houston, Atlanta, Dallas, and possibly Denver or Nashville (all of which have quality law schools). But for somebody looking for a very family-oriented, conservative-ish, yet cultured and yuppie city...which town would fit best? He wants white collar without the price and pretense. Is there even a city out there like the one he's looking for?
I have a friend who is looking at a bunch of law schools across the country. He's a midwesterner--but he is open to just about any city out there. And...he is a bit of an iconoclast. He's a total yuppie and loves the more white-collar sorts of cities with giant, white-bread suburbs full of stepford wives and big suvs. He wants a city with a good cultural scene and lots of neat coffee shops with a definite hipster edge. But he's also got a very distinct streak of redneck in him...he's an evangelical Christian, fairly conservative, loves country music, and most of all wants a real "salt of the earth" type of place to live. So while places like Boston and San Francisco may be very yuppie...it's not his sort of yuppie. He's a less sophisticated sort of yuppie, I guess. lol.
The first cities to come to my mind were Houston, Atlanta, Dallas, and possibly Denver or Nashville (all of which have quality law schools). But for somebody looking for a very family-oriented, conservative-ish, yet cultured and yuppie city...which town would fit best? He wants white collar without the price and pretense. Is there even a city out there like the one he's looking for?
I have a friend who is looking at a bunch of law schools across the country. He's a midwesterner--but he is open to just about any city out there. And...he is a bit of an iconoclast. He's a total yuppie and loves the more white-collar sorts of cities with giant, white-bread suburbs full of stepford wives and big suvs. He wants a city with a good cultural scene and lots of neat coffee shops with a definite hipster edge. But he's also got a very distinct streak of redneck in him...he's an evangelical Christian, fairly conservative, loves country music, and most of all wants a real "salt of the earth" type of place to live. So while places like Boston and San Francisco may be very yuppie...it's not his sort of yuppie. He's a less sophisticated sort of yuppie, I guess. lol.
The first cities to come to my mind were Houston, Atlanta, Dallas, and possibly Denver or Nashville (all of which have quality law schools). But for somebody looking for a very family-oriented, conservative-ish, yet cultured and yuppie city...which town would fit best? He wants white collar without the price and pretense. Is there even a city out there like the one he's looking for?
Thanks for your help!
I'm proud to say that I live in a city that offends your friends delicate conservative sensibilities and I take great solace in the fact that we won't be neighbors. I don't think there exists in this country a place that is both conservative and "cultured." Culture comes from openness of people to engage in a manner that transcends race, religion, background, and creed. It exists as people derive mutual stimulation from sustained engagement with people who are different than you are, enabling you to expand your horizons and develop an approach to life and people that is INCLUSIVE. Conservative areas are far from this ideal.
I'd eliminate Seattle (most athiest city in the country, and uber-liberal), NYC (just as expensive as San Francisco), and maybe Minneapolis (might still be too liberal for him).
Louisville seems like a good option. It has a very similar vibe to San Francisco, but is more conservative and less expensive.
Or Atlanta.
I'm proud to say that I live in a city that offends your friends delicate conservative sensibilities and I take great solace in the fact that we won't be neighbors. I don't think there exists in this country a place that is both conservative and "cultured." Culture comes from openness of people to engage in a manner that transcends race, religion, background, and creed. It exists as people derive mutual stimulation from sustained engagement with people who are different than you are, enabling you to expand your horizons and develop an approach to life and people that is INCLUSIVE. Conservative areas are far from this ideal.
Yeah...I'm not buyin' it. There are plenty of vibrant, modern, and growing cities out there that are also conservative--like Salt Lake, for example. Houston and Dallas are also fairly conservative AND extremely diverse and vibrant. I guess you can argue that those cities are actually quite liberal...but I think most would agree that Houston and Dallas, for being major metropolitan cities, are remarkably conservative.
There are sooo many parts about San Francisco which are really quite regressive and, in my opinion, make the town unliveable.
I'm proud to say that I live in a city that offends your friends delicate conservative sensibilities and I take great solace in the fact that we won't be neighbors. I don't think there exists in this country a place that is both conservative and "cultured." Culture comes from openness of people to engage in a manner that transcends race, religion, background, and creed. It exists as people derive mutual stimulation from sustained engagement with people who are different than you are, enabling you to expand your horizons and develop an approach to life and people that is INCLUSIVE. Conservative areas are far from this ideal.
My goodness, that doesn't sound very open. Aren't you exhibiting the same kind of closed-minded behavior of which you're accusing conservatives?
I would say he should consider Washington, DC. It has the yuppie, white collar quality he seeks, but it also has plenty of republican types that he might fit in with. It also has a half dozen good law schools and probably the best legal job market in the country for a freshly minted JD.
I take great solace in the fact that we won't be neighbors.
You seem like a very nice person, and open minded to people of all opinions yourself. I don't know what the offensive part was to you... white collar? Christian? Heaven forbid. Or was it suburbs, or "conservative-ish?"
To the OP:
As a native San Franciscan, I think that a lot of it is hype, however for price alone, I can understand what you're saying. San Diego, where I live part time, is an alternative to think about, but it's not going to be cheap either. It's surrounded by suburbs just of the nature you speak of, but has plenty of the urban, coffee-drinking feel as well. The older suburbs are very meat-and-potatoes, and the cowboy boots element wouldn't be out of place at all. Pretty much, San Diego's personality is exactly like you're talking about. Less liberal, and a mixture of urban in parts, and still a small-town vibe in others that the city can't 100 percent decide what it likes more.
You seem like a very nice person, and open minded to people of all opinions yourself. I don't know what the offensive part was to you... white collar? Christian? Heaven forbid. Or was it suburbs, or "conservative-ish?"
To the OP:
As a native San Franciscan, I think that a lot of it is hype, however for price alone, I can understand what you're saying. San Diego, where I live part time, is an alternative to think about, but it's not going to be cheap either. It's surrounded by suburbs just of the nature you speak of, but has plenty of the urban, coffee-drinking feel as well. The older suburbs are very meat-and-potatoes, and the cowboy boots element wouldn't be out of place at all. Pretty much, San Diego's personality is exactly like you're talking about. Less liberal, and a mixture of urban in parts, and still a small-town vibe in others that the city can't 100 percent decide what it likes more.
Cost isn't a huge big deal. He's going in law, after all. It's mainly the cultural element that he's concerned about. You're right that parts of East Bay are not so bad. But SF itself? I'll pass along the San Diego advice. I've been there several times and have found it almost surreal--it's SO awesome. And then I looked at a real estate prices and reality hit.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
